Defining it usefully.
WHAT IT IS
Meeting the requirement, consistently.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Being expensive Being elaborate Being perfect
WHY THAT MATTERS
Quality is fitness for the stated purpose, not maximum specification.
WHAT THAT IMPLIES
A cheap product meeting its requirement has high quality; an expensive one that fails does not.
WHAT THE TWO COMPONENTS ARE
Meeting the requirement Doing so every time
WHY CONSISTENCY MATTERS AS MUCH
Occasional excellence with frequent failure is worse than reliable adequacy.
WHAT CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY JUDGE
Whether they got what they expected Whether it happens reliably What happens when it does not
WHAT POOR QUALITY COSTS
Rework Waste Complaints and refunds Lost customers Management attention
WHY THE LAST ONE IS UNDERESTIMATED
Fixing problems consumes the capacity that would improve things.
WHAT THE COST OF PREVENTION IS
Almost always less than the cost of failure.
WHY
Failures cost the work twice, plus the consequences.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH FIRST
What your customers actually require.
WHY
You cannot meet a requirement nobody stated.
WHAT TO DOCUMENT
The standard, so everyone works to the same one.
